2003 League of Ireland Premier Division
Football league season
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The 2003 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 19th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Shelbourne were champions.
| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Shelbourne (11th title) |
| Relegated | UCD |
| UEFA Champions League | Shelbourne |
| UEFA Cup | Bohemians Longford Town |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | Cork City |
| Top goalscorer | Jason Byrne: 21 (Shelbourne) [1][2] |
← 2002–03 2004 → | |
Regular season
The 2003 season would see the League of Ireland Premier Division change from a winter league to a summer league. Each team played four rounds of games, totalling 36 games each.[2][3][4]
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelbourne (C) | 36 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 52 | 28 | +24 | 69 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Bohemians | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 64 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Cork City | 36 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 43 | 33 | +10 | 53 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup first round |
| 4 | Longford Town | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 48 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first qualifying round[a] |
| 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 46 | |
| 6 | Waterford United | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 45 | |
| 7 | Shamrock Rovers | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 44 | |
| 8 | Drogheda United | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 37 | |
| 9 | Derry City (O) | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 33 | 51 | −18 | 36 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 10 | UCD (R) | 36 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 27 | 39 | −12 | 34 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
- Longford Town qualified for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round after winning the 2003 FAI Cup.
Results
Matches 1–18
Matches 19–36
Top scorers
| Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|
 Jason Byrne |
Shelbourne | 21 |
| Glen Crowe |
Bohemians | 19 |
| John O'Flynn |
Cork City | 14 |
| Andrew Myler |
Drogheda United | 14 |
 Tony Bird |
St Patrick's Athletic | 14 |
Promotion/relegation play-off
Four teams entered the promotion/relegation play-off. The second, third and fourth placed teams from the 2003 League of Ireland First Division were joined by the ninth placed team from the Premier Division.
Semi-final
- 1st Legs
| 3 December 2003 | Limerick | 0–0 | Derry City |
| 3 December 2003 | Finn Harps | 1–0 | Bray Wanderers |
- 2nd Legs
| 6 December 2003 | Derry City | 4–0 | Limerick |
Derry City win 4–0 on aggregate
| 6 December 2003 | Bray Wanderers | 1–2 | Finn Harps |
Finn Harps win 3–1 on aggregate
Final
| 10 December 2003 | Finn Harps | 0–0 | Derry City |
| 13 December 2003 | Derry City | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Finn Harps | |
Farren  13'Coyle 101' |
McHugh 95' |
Derry City win 2–1 on aggregate and retain their place in the Premier Division. [2][4][6]
Attendances
| # | Football club | Average attendance[7] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City | 4,147 |
| 2 | St. Patrick's Athletic | 2,971 |
| 3 | Bohemians | 2,741 |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 2,573 |
| 5 | Waterford United | 2,467 |
| 6 | Derry City | 2,265 |
| 7 | Shamrock Rovers | 2,038 |
| 8 | Drogheda United | 2,038 |
| 9 | Longford Town | 1,586 |
| 10 | UCD AFC | 783 |